dry's sullen eyes gleamed vindictively as he nodded assent.

"Well, they mean it--if we are fools enough to give them the chance of
doing it. And by God, Louis, I tell you that it means hanging for us
both; if not hanging, imprisonment for life in Darlinghurst Gaol.
We shot the niggers, right enough, and every man of the crew of the
_Motutapu_, from Oliver down to Carr's servant, will go dead against
us."

He paused a moment. "This has happened at a bad time for us, Louis. Two
years ago Thorne, the skipper of the _Trustful_, labour schooner, his
mate, second mate, boatswain and four hands were cast for death for
firing into native canoes in the New Hebrides. And although none of them
were hanged they are rotting in prison now, and will die in prison."

"I know," answered the captain in a whisper. "Thorne was reprieved and
got a life-sentence, the other chaps got twenty-one years."

"And I tell you, Louis, that if you and I face a jury we shall stand a
worse chance than Jim Thorne and his crowd did. The whole crew will go
dead against us, and swear there was no attempt to mutiny--that girl and
her servant too, and Jessop as well. Jessop would give us away in any
case over the cause of the fire, if he said nothing else. It's their
lives or ours."

"What is it to be?" muttered Hendry, drawing the steer oar inboard, and
putting his eager, cruel eyes close to Chard's face.

"This is what it must be. You and I, Louis, will be _'the only survivors
of the "Motutapu" which took fire at sea. All hands escaped in the
three boats, but only the captain's boat, containing himself and the
supercargo, succeeded in reaching Ponape after terrible hardships.
The mate's and second mate's boats, with all their occupants, have
undoubtedly been lost._' That is what the newspapers will say, Louis,
and it will be quite true, as all those in the other boats will perish.
By sunrise tomorrow none of the ship's company but you and I must be
alive."

"How are we going to do it?"

"Wait till nearly daylight, and then we can get within range of them,
and pick them off one by one, if there is a good breeze. If there is no
wind and we cannot keep going, we must put it off for the time.
There's two hundred and thirty Winchester and Snider cartridges in that
handkerchief--I've counted them--and we can make short work of them."

"What about these fellows?" said Hendry, inclining his head towards the
drunken firemen.

"They go first. They must g